Madison Westin 02-Deception in Paradise (12 page)

“Its Jax now, remember?”

Mother laughed. “Did I promise?”

“You can have my room.”

“I need to go home. I have an early morning appointment. I’ll call you after I talk to Brad. When you get an update on Jax, call me.”

CHAPTER 16

Mother called to tell me that Jax had spent the night at the hospital. He’d been beaten worse than originally thought, sustaining a couple of cracked ribs.

“I’ve done something you need to know about.”

I closed my eyes. “What?”

“Brad’s leaving in the morning. He’s getting the boat restocked this afternoon. Jax can’t stay out in the Everglades by himself. He’s not coming back to your house, either.”

Brad lived in the Glades in a house that he’d remodeled himself. I almost fainted when I first saw it. I’d thought it was a dump that should’ve been bulldozed. The transformation was shocking. It had taken him over a year, and he paid attention to every detail. I hated going there, especially in the dark, the bugs chirping and buzzing in your hair was unnerving. One always had to be on the lookout for what might crawl up your leg out of the tall grasses.

I exhaled. “What does that mean? What have you done?”

“I relocated him to The Cottages.”

“I’m surprised he went.”

“I didn’t give him a choice. He tried not to show it, but he liked the idea. I picked him up and drove him over there, and Mac put him in cottage ten.”

I resisted the urge to jump in the air. “I’ll pack the rest of his stuff and take it over to him.” Peace at last.

Mother sniffed. “A thank you would be nice.”

“Thank you.”

* * *

My SUV was filled with storage boxes. I retrieved four plastic containers from the garage and filled them with Jax’s clothes and shoes. He packed light; no other personal items. I guess people on the run didn’t have stuff.

I realized I didn’t know anything about his life since the day I’d gotten in my car and driven away, pre-divorce. I thought back to our conversations. He hadn’t offered up the slightest tidbit. I worried every waking moment about my house and Pavel. I loved life in the Cove, and I wanted Jax out of town. I’d still have The Cottages, but it would drive me crazy to live amongst my tenants. Every one of them was high maintenance.

I noticed everything was quiet when I drove into the driveway of The Cottages. I took the plastic containers and stacked them in the office. I wasn’t in the mood for a face-to-face to with Jax. I walked over to Joseph’s, and his door stood wide open. He lay stretched out on the couch, watching television.

“Come on in,” he called.

“You feeling okay?” His face had a dull, yellowish tint.

“Not really. Doesn’t mean I can’t talk. Besides, I’ve been wondering where you’ve been.”

“What have you heard?” I bounced into a chair opposite him, careful not to choose the other chair. The last time I sat on it, a spring shot up my butt.

“Since they drug the foreign dude with the hole in his head out of the water, rumors started flying.”

“What’s the latest?”

“Pavel came here with his father fifteen years ago from the Czech Republic. His mother still lives there. The father died a few years ago. The Coast Guard was able to track the mother down to tell her about her son, and they’re coordinating funeral arrangements with Dickie-Ass.”

“You might want to be nicer to the only funeral director in town. When’s the funeral?”

“Tomorrow. Are you going?” Joseph asked.

“I don’t go to funerals of people I don’t know.”

“Promises to be a big shindig. Sid Byce, Pavel’s boss, is throwing a party afterward, outside in the patio area. If the food comes from The Wharf, it should be good. Sid’s paying for the whole thing.”

Free food was not incentive enough for me, but party-funeral combos could be a new advertising concept for Dickie. “Any ideas on how Pavel ended up dead?”

“Your husband is the chief suspect.”

“Ex-husband. Why would Jax shoot someone he met for the first time when Pavel stepped on the boat that night?”

“Sid’s made it clear he wants someone to pay, and he doesn’t care who it is.”

“He sounds like an ass.”

“Where have you been, girl?” Joseph laughed. “Most of the people in this town are assholes.”

“You’re a cynic.” I smiled.

“What’s up with you moving your husband in here?”

“Ex. It seemed like a good arrangement.”

“Mark my words, girlie; he’s going to be trouble. You need to pack his ass up and send him back to wherever he came from. Express!”

“He’s been here one night.”

“Who kicked his ass?” Joseph asked.

“Why don’t you find out and tell me?”

“Grow a pair and kick his ass to the state line. If you can’t do it yourself, ask one of your ass-kicker friends. They’ll be happy to do it.”

“Do you want a beer?” I asked.

“Are you pulling it out of your pocket?”

“No, I’m offering you one of yours, so I can get a bottle of water.” I perused the refrigerator, not surprised that it held only beverages.

“I want one from the back because they’re the coldest.”

I popped the top and handed him his beer. “If Jax leaves now, the police will think he killed Pavel for sure.”

“Do you think he had anything to do with Pavel’s death?”

I sat down and downed half the bottle of water. “No, I don’t. He doesn’t even own a gun, and even if he did, he’s not a killer.”

“What about one of his friends that was on the boat?” he asked.

“He just met them.”

Joseph raised his eyebrows. “You sure about that?”

“I’m not sure about anything. What are you trying to tell me? Stop with the questions and tell me what’s going on.”

“Not long after your mother dropped his butt here, a guy and a girl showed up. I have a nose for trouble, and they’re it. Mark my words, you’re going to be looking for ways to be rid of the three of them and soon.”

“Where are they now?”

“Some skinny, grimy looking, tattooed guy in a van came by, and your husband’s two friends piled in and left. A little while later, another car pulled up, and your husband got in that one. I couldn’t see who was driving.”

“Everything else around here going okay?”

Joseph threw his beer can in the direction of the trashcan, missing by a foot. “It’s quiet right now.”

“One more thing; do you know a Luc Baptiste?”

“Never heard of him. Why?”

“Elizabeth left him something, and I’ve been trying to find a guy no one knows. How odd is that?”

“If it’s something good, keep it for yourself. Problem solved.”

A middle-aged woman poked her head in the door. “Are you ready, Joseph?”

“Hey, Ellie, come on in. I’ll get my jacket. I have a doctor’s appointment,” he told me.

I stood up. “Thanks, Joseph. Call me if you hear anything.”

I walked to my SUV, refusing to let everything going on overwhelm me. I pulled my ringing cell phone out of my pocket. I debated not answering, but I knew she’d call again. “Hi, Mother.”

“Good news. Brad’s calmed down. He and Jax are at Moron’s assessing the damage.”

“I thought Brad went out fishing this morning.”

“A couple of his guys didn’t show up, so he had to delay it a day.”

“I forgot to tell Brad, the detective on the case is issuing a subpoena for the boat, so he won’t have it very long.”

“We’re under no obligation to wait for law enforcement to get their act together.”

“Mother, if we repair it now, it’ll look like we’re covering up evidence.”

“Madison, did you shoot the guy?”

“You know I didn’t.”

“Our family isn’t involved in this case.”

“It could be used against Jax and would look like I’m covering up evidence.”

“Stop overreacting. Do you want to get back with Jax?”

“That’s over. Don’t ask me why I didn’t just tell him to go away. I’m giving him credit for warning me. Who knew it would get worse after that?”

“Brad says he’s not doing drugs anymore. I was happy to hear Brad believed him. I’m not sure I did when he told me. Now he needs to get sober, and not think he can just be an occasional drinker.”

“Alcohol has ruined his life, and he needs to admit it and move on,” I said. “I’m happy he’s helping with the boat. Brad’s a stable influence on him. I think Jax will get along great with Moron.”

“I called Jax’s mother. She was grateful that we didn’t leave her son to twist, even though he’s a pain in the butt.”

“Every time I thought about calling, things went from bad to worse. I just assumed he was keeping her up to date because I knew he was calling her every other day.”

“She also verified that Jax has been completely off drugs for a year now. Basically, it was a mother chat, worrying about our children.”

“Jax and I both got lucky in the mother department. That was nice of you to call.”

Jax seemed to be on the right track. I wondered if his mother knew he’d also given up cigarettes.

“Do you want him to stay in the Cove?”

“My guess is he’ll go back to South Carolina to be with his family.”

“Listen to me. You need to let Jax figure out his own problems. It’s character building for us all.”

“Who’s going to stick up for Pavel? He deserves to have this case solved and the real shooter going to jail,” I said.

“Please, just let the police do their job. Stay out of it. Do you hear me?”

“You make it sound so easy. How can I stand by and let Jax go to jail for something he didn’t do?”

“I don’t want you getting hurt,” Mother said. “Brad and Jax are going to work on the boat. You need to concentrate on your own life. You have The Cottages to manage. Stay out of the rest. You better be listening.”

“I hear you.”

“When Brad leaves Moron’s, he’s going back to the Glades. His boat’s ready to take off in the morning.”

“How long will he be gone?”

“You know how it works. It’s grouper season, so probably a week or two or until the freezers are full. He’s been having good runs lately,” mother said.

“What did he say about Spoon?”

“I told him you exaggerated the situation.”

“So you told him I lied.” I laughed. “That was probably a good idea.”

“Don’t be so dramatic.” Mother hung up.

CHAPTER 17

My crappy day turned around when I spotted Zach’s Escalade parked in front of my house. I forced myself to walk in a dignified manner, not bolt through the door and jump in his lap.

“Honey, I’m home,” I called.

“I’m in the kitchen.”

He had on his bathing suit, my two-piece hanging on his finger. He kissed me. “Here, put this on.”

“Are you cooking too?”

“I’m prepping a few things for later.” He turned to stir a marinade mixture. “I’ll have this finished by the time you come back downstairs.”

I went upstairs and changed into my black tankini, pulling my hair up into a ponytail. I decided nothing was going to spoil our evening. Before putting my phone on the charger, I turned it off. Any more crises would have to wait.

At the bottom of the stairs, Zach took my hand and led me outside. By the side of the pool sat two glasses of red wine.

“I’m loving this.” I kissed his cheek, and we grabbed our wine and sat on the steps in the shallow end of the pool.

“How was your day, dear?” Zach asked.

“All I think about is Pavel. One minute, he’s on the boat, and then days later, he’s found murdered. I want to go back in time and change that night.”

“Go easy on yourself. You had no idea what Dickhead was up to, sneaking around.”

“I feel guilty. How am I supposed to feel about this dead guy, a stranger? I’m so fixated on Pavel; he’s real to me now. If I had my way, this whole situation would just go away.”

“It’ll help when they arrest someone, and hopefully, it won’t be someone you know.”

“Jax didn’t shoot Pavel.” I shook my head.

“Unfortunately, Harder is lead on this case, and right now, Jax is their only suspect. Considering mine and Harder’s past, he’s going to play hard-ass with you and Jax. It doesn’t help we’re still together. We could break up.”

I laughed. “Break up what?”

“We’ll tell people we’re no longer together, and then we’ll sneak around.”

“I like the sneaking around part. But Harder has several reasons to dislike me that have nothing to do with you, the biggest one being my lawyer, who’s always on the winning side.”

“Slice is looking into this case, and we should know something in a few days,” Zach said. “Slice has contacts on the docks from here to Key West. His brother works for the Miami police department. They get something solid, we’ll know. And Kevin will look out for you; he’ll keep Harder from going too far over the line.”

I was tired of being afraid and jittery, waiting for the bang of the next falling shoe. “What’s for dinner?”

“Hungry?” He smiled.

“Yes, and I want you to feed me first.”

Zach put his arms around me. “We’re having salmon, pasta, and vegetables.” He took my hands and pulled me up the steps and out of the pool. “You can sit on a barstool and tell me what to do.” He picked up a beach towel and wrapped it around me.

“That should be fun.” I laughed.

We sat at the counter and focused on small talk. I started nibbling on the food before it hit the plate. Zach had signed another client. He loved his job; the excitement in his voice matched the expression on his face.

On our way upstairs, he let me know that he wouldn’t be there when I woke up in the morning. He had an early morning meeting in Palm Beach. He’d stopped leaving notes when I’d told him if he did it again, I’d have to hurt him.

* * *

I fished out my black lacy bra. I hated wearing bras. I’d never managed to find a comfortable one, but I couldn’t attend a business meeting with my nipples on display. I pulled on a black sleeveless dress and a belt, finishing the look with a silver necklace and earrings. I carried my shoes downstairs to put on as I went out the door.

I dreaded the meeting with Cruz and Detective Harder. Harder wouldn’t be able to resist scaring me with threats of jail. I couldn’t imagine the interrogation being any worse if I were guilty. The difference would be that if I were guilty, I’d end up in handcuffs, but with Harder, that could happen anyway. He’d done it to me once before, and I hadn’t been guilty then, either.